Sermon Text: Exodus 8:20-9:12

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.’’’ And the LORD did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.’ But Moses said, ‘It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us.’ So Pharaoh said, ‘I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.’ Then Moses said, ‘Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.’ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. And the LORD did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, behold, the hand of the LORD will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.’’’ And the LORD set a time, saying, ‘Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.’ And the next day the LORD did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.’ So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.” (Exodus 8:20–9:12, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

So we have come now to the second of the three plague cycles. Remember that the story of the Ten plagues has a literary structure to it. The ten plagues are grouped into three groups of three, with the tenth and final plague being set off on its own and given special attention. The most obvious marker of this structure is the setting in which Moses introduces each plague. Plagues 1, 4, and 7 are introduced early in the morning and by the riverside. Plagues 2, 5, and 8 are introduced in Pharoah’s courtyard — “go in to Pharoah”, the Lord says at the introduction to these plagues. And plagues 3, 6, and 9 are introduced outdoors without confrontation with Pharaoh. 

Last Sunday we considered the first three plagues one at a time and I made five observations about each. This morning I will take a different approach. I wish to make five general observations about the entire second plague cycle (plagues 4, 5, and 6). We will consider, one, Moses’ firm stance; two, the intensification of the plagues; three, the distinction made between the Hebrews and the Egyptians; four, the shaming of the gods of Egypt; and five, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. 

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Consider Moses’ Firm Stance

First, consider Moses’ firm stance.

In 8:20 we read, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me.’’’” 

This confrontation took place early in the morning and by the riverside. Perhaps it was the custom of Pharaoh to rise up early and to worship there? Whatever he was doing, Moses was to “present” himself to Pharaoh. The Hebrew word translated as “present” means to “stand”, to “confront”, or to “take one’s stand”. The meaning is that Moses was called by God to take a firm stance before Pharaoh, and this he did. He stood boldly before Pharaoh on the banks of the Nile and made the same demand, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me’” (Exodus 8:20, ESV). 

We have witnessed the development of a great leader in the Exodus story, haven’t we? Moses attempted to deliver the Hebrews 40 years before, but he did it in his own strength, and not by the word of the Lord. He was humbled for 40 years in the wilderness. And when the LORD did call him to deliver the Hebrews, he lacked faith and confidence. It’s as if he had swung from one extreme to the other. But here Moses seems to be in a groove. He is humble, calm, cool and collected, and yet he is firm. He courageously stood before Pharaoh. He consistently delivered the word of the Lord. And he calmly refused to compromise. 

Pharoah did attempt to get Moses to compromise. In 8:25 we read, “Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.’” Moses refused, saying, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us’” (Exodus 8:26–27, ESV).

Consider a couple of things about Moses’ resolve. 

One, it was all or nothing for Moses. God’s word demanded that Israel be freed from Egyptian bondage to worship and serve the LORD. But Pharaoh proposed that the people worship the LORD while remaining under his authority. I’m afraid that many attempt to follow after Christ in this half-hearted, compromised way. They wish to worship and serve the LORD, but they remain in bondage. They have a divided loyalty. They attempt to have one foot in the kingdom of Christ, and one in the kingdom of Satan.  But what does Christ say about that? “No one can serve two masters…” (Matthew 6:24). Moses would have none of it. This deliverance would have to involve both freedom from bondage, and freedom to worship and serve the Lord. It would involve a transfer from one kingdom to another — a clean break. And so it is for the Christian. We do not have two Master’s, but One. 

Two, I’m impressed by Moses’ tact. He does not scream and yell at Pharoah. He does not insult him. In fact, he answers Pharoah in a careful and tactful way. “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land”, Pharaoh says. And Moses replies in a way that is fitting when speaking to a dignitary.  “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians…” etc. “We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us’” (Exodus 8:26–27, ESV). You know, I think we have a lot to learn from Moses (and from Christ) concerning the way in which we are to stand firm within society and before governing authorities. To state the matter succinctly, a firm stance does not require disrespect. To hold the line one need not be harsh or nasty. Those without faith may feel the need to use such manipulative tactics. But those with deep faith will find a way to be firm and resolute and at the same time respectable in their conduct. Faith produces peace, brothers and sisters. And peace in the heart is what we need when standing firm for God and Christ in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. 

Moses had wavered in the faith previously, but here he seems to be very strong. It is clear that God was preparing him to lead Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, into the wilderness, and towards the land of promise. 

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Consider The Intensification Of The Plagues

So, we have considered Moses’ firm stance. Now let us consider the intensification of the plagues in this cycle. 

The first three plagues were truly miraculous. And the Egyptians were truly inconvenienced by them. They frantically dug new wells. Frogs inundated their land and their dwellings. Gnats (or mosquitoes) covered the land. In the second cycle, things progress from the realm of “nuisance” to the realm of personal affliction. 

First, flies covered the land of Egypt. This is similar to the plague of the gnats, but the description of the plague of flies makes it seem as if it were more extreme. Flies were everywhere. They were in the homes. They even covered the ground.

 For some time I have been saying that here in So California it is the flies that emerge in the summertime that bother me even more than the extreme heat. They are truly a nuisance. But I’m talking about finding a few here and there. Egypt was covered with flies. Most Egyptians would not have anything like screens on their windows, so the flies would have filled the houses too. They would have pestered the Egyptians even as they slept. It must have been tormenting. 

Next, the Egyptians livestock perished. This must have been utterly devastating economically speaking. 

In 9:6 the ESV says, “ All the livestock of the Egyptians died…” This has led students of the Bible to wonder if we have a contradiction in the text, for in the account of the seventh plague the Egyptians are warned to bring their livestock out of the field before the plague of hail descended upon them. Where did these livestock come from if they all had died in the fifth plague? The answer is that the Hebrew word translated as “all” by the ESV can also mean “all sorts of” or “all over the place”. So the context clarifies that not every animal belonging to the Egyptians died, but all kinds of animals in all places. How many? We do not know. But it was enough to notice.  As 9:3 says, it was “a very severe plague upon [the] livestock that [were] in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.” 

In the next plague, the Egyptians were struck with boils on their skin. 

There is a theory out there that it was anthrax that produced these skin boils on the Egyptians. In fact, the theory traces this all the way back to the turning of the Nile to blood (or blood-red). This caused the fish to die. The anthrax multiplied in the rotting fish. The frogs were infected as they came ashore. When the frogs died, anthrax contaminated the soil where the flocks grazed, so the flocks perished. Anthrax spores would have then been spread by the flies, inhaled, or ingested by humans leading, not to death in most cases, but to festering sores on the skin. What should we think about this theory?

I’ll say what I said last week regarding the Nile turned to blood, or blood-red. While it would certainly be consistent with the other plagues involving frogs, gnats, flies, hail, etc, to think that the  Lord used natural things like algae to plague the Nile or bacteria to plague the Egyptians with sores, we must not reduce these plagues to mere natural phenomenon. Pharaoh and his magicians were convinced that these plagues were the finger of God because no natural explanation could be found for these events. If would one could be found, then surely Moses would have been quickly dismissed. But these plages struck and relented when Moses said they would. And they struck on such a grand scale and with such precision that all who observed knew for certain it is was the God of the Hebrews who sent them. Was it the bacteria anthrax that caused the boils? Maybe. But it is undeniable that God was working in a miraculous way. 

It is interesting that the magicians of Egypt are mentioned again in this passage. This will be the last time we will hear about them. Notice the progression with these magicians. First, they stood toe to toe with Moses to provide counterfeits to the sign of the staff turned to a snake, to the water turned blood-red, and to the appearance of frogs. In all of these episodes, Moses was shown to be superior. Next, they were unable to reproduce the plague of the gnats with their trickery. They had to admit to Pharaoh, “this is the finger of God”. But now they are struck personally. They were so afflicted with these boils on their skin that they “could not stand before Moses because of the boils”. Isn’t that awesome. Moses stood firm before Pharaoh, but the magicians “could not stand before Moses because of the boils”, and in this way, they were dismissed never to be heard of again in the story. This is what God does with counterfeits. They will succeed for a time and seem to be so powerful, but God will have the last word. He will expose them as frauds and put them to open shame. 

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Consider The Distinction That Is Made Between The Hebrews And The Egyptians

So, we have considered Moses’ firm stance and the intensification of the plagues. Now let us consider the distinction that God made between the Hebrews and the Egyptians. I consider this to be a central feature of this second plague cycle. God clearly distinguished between the Hebrews and Egyptians when pouring out these plagues. 

In the context of the fourth plague, the plague of flies, the LORD said, “But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth” (Exodus 8:22, ESV).

In the context of the fifth plague, the death of the livestock, Moses said, “But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die” (Exodus 9:4, ESV). And in the context of the sixth plague, it is said that “the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians”, with no mention being made of the Hebrews.

In a previous sermon, I emphasized that God knows who are his and he is able to keep them even as they dwell in a midst of a crooked and perverse generation and God pours out his judgments. Here we see evidence of that great truth again. God plagued the Egyptians with flies, the death of livestock, and skin boils, but the Hebrews were left untouched. This was to demonstrate that the God of the Hebrews is “LORD in the midst of the earth.” The same distinction will be made in the seventh plague regarding the hail.  

It is interesting that no such thing was said regarding the water turned to blood, the frogs, or gnats. And no such thing will be said regarding plagues 8 and 9 involving the locust and the darkness. I’m not sure how far we can push this idea, but in general, it seems evident to me that in some instances the people of God will be caught up in and affected by the judgments that God pours out upon a wicked nation. Doesn’t this just make sense? When a nation falls under God’s displeasure and is judged by the Lord in some way, the righteous may suffer some affliction along with that nation. At the same time, it is true that God is able to distinguish between those who are his and those who are not, and he is able to guard them and keep them. This he clearly did in plagues 4 through 7.

I also think there is something else going on in the statement found in 8:22, “But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth” (Exodus 8:22, ESV). Israel is here being “set apart” by God from the nations. This theme began with the call of Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans.. He was set apart as holy and was to journey towards the promised land. And now that theme is emerging again. Israel is being set apart in Egypt, will be delivered, and will journey towards the promised land. This was their identity. They were chosen by God (in an earthly sense) and set apart by him as his special possession, for the LORD (YHWH) had entered into a covenant with them. ”But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell… that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.” It is the LORD who made a covenant with Israel and who keeps his covenant. In these plagues a clear distinction is made between the Egyptians and the Hebrews, for the LORD had set the Hebrews apart by covenant.

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Consider the Shaming Of The Gods Of Egypt

Fourthly, consider the shaming of the gods of Egypt. 

I’ve said before that the ten plagues are to be considered an assault against the so-called gods of Egypt.  In fact, that is what the Bible explicitly says. Speaking of the Egyptians, Numbers 33:4 says, “On their gods also the LORD executed judgments” (Numbers 33:4, ESV).

So how were the plagues of flies, the death of livestock, and skin boils judgments against the gods of Egypt? 

Concerning the flies, allow me to quote Philip Ryken from his commentary on Exodus.

Concerning the livestock, it only needs to be said that the Egyptians worshiped livestock, particularly bulls and cows. It is no wonder that Hebrews made an image of a golden calf when they slipped back into idolatry when Moses was on the mountain. 

Concerning the boils, listen again to Ryken: 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The Exodus event was unique. We have to be careful, therefore, when drawing applications out of this story for our modern-day circumstances. But I think it is safe to view the Exodus as a kind of paradigm for the way that God judges sinful cultures and nations. He has a way of putting down the haughty within the world who would seek to have the glory that belongs to God alone as their own.  He has a way of putting down false god’s showing them to be false. 

In some ways, the culture of the Egyptians seems so very different from our own. They worshipped many gods. We would call them primitive and superstitious. We scoff at their views regarding medicine and healing. But really, are we all that different? This culture is filled with idolaters too. Americans worship many gods. Though they do not call them by the name “god” they place their hope in them, find their identity in them, and look to them for joy. I can’t help but think of the way that people talk about “science” nowadays. You would think it was a deity the way that the world speaks about it science today. And I can help but think about the way in which medical doctors are venerated within our society. Scientists and medical doctors — these must not be questioned. I assume the same was true for the Egyptian deities associated with health and healing and the magicians of Egypt. But what did the LORD do to those who were exalted above their proper domain? He put them to open shame. I wonder if the LORD is not doing something similar presently. The world is filled with fear. The fear is largely fabricated, in my opinion. But that is another story. And what is the world looking to for salvation? So-called “science”; medical professionals. They will not deliver, brothers and sisters. In fact, I suspect they will put to open shame. 

There is only one God, brothers and sisters. There is only one who is worthy of our trust and devotion. He is the LORD.  

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Consider The Hardening Of Pharaoh’s Heart

Fifthly, and lastly, let us consider the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. 

Notice that Pharoah is wavering. He is negotiating with Moses and he is requesting that Moses intercede for him. He’s cracking under the pressure, in other words, for he knows this is the work of the LORD. But his heart is stubborn, hard, and prideful. 

At the end of each plague, mention is made of the hardness of Pharoah’s heart. “ But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.” “But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.” And finally, “But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.” So we have three different perspectives on this issue in these three plagues. Pharaoh hardened his own heart, his heart was heartened, and the LORD hardened his heart. Remember that God told Moses that he would harden Pharoah’s heart back in 4:21. Now we see it happening. And in 9:16 we will read the word of the LORD to Pharaoh: “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16, ESV). This is such an important theme in Exodus, I would be remiss if I did not make mention of it. Clearly, God wants his people to understand that the king’s heart is in his hand. He is the Sovereign One, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. 

Sermon Text: Exodus 7:14-8:19

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.’ But so far, you have not obeyed. Thus says the LORD, ‘By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.’’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’’ Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile. Seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.’’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’’ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.’ And he said, ‘Tomorrow.’ Moses said, ‘Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.’ So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’’ And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” (Exodus 7:14–8:19, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

We have come now to the story of the ten plagues. If we take “plague” to mean “disease”, then “plague” is not the best word to describe the judgments that God poured out on the Egyptians, for only two of the ten involved diseases. But if we understand “plague” to mean “a blow or a wound”, or “a thing that causes trouble or irritation”, then the term is fitting, for God did strike the Egyptians with these ten judgments which brought progressively increasing stuffing upon them. 

The Bible does not refer to these judgments as “plagues” but as “signs and wonders”, and that is how we are to view them. In these judgments, God was demonstrating to the Egyptians, to the Hebrews — indeed to the whole world — that he was God Most High, the LORD who had entered into covenant with Israel, the all mighty, Sovereign, self-existent and unchanging one. These wonders were “signs”.

I suppose that a sermon could be devoted to each sign. But I’ve decided to take three at a time and then to give special attention to the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn of Egypt. This approach actually corresponds to the literary structure of the narrative. Scholars have noted that the first nine plagues are presented in three cycles of three. The first plague involves an outdoor confrontation with Pharaoh in the morning. The second plague involves an indoor confrontation with Pharaoh, that is to say, Moses speaks to Pharaoh in his court. And the third plague is initiated by Moses as he performs some symbolic action outdoors with limited confrontation with Pharaoh. The same pattern is found in the account of plagues 4, 5, 6 and 7, 8, 9 (see Douglas Stuart Commentary, 189). So these plagues are presented in three groups of three, with a special emphasis given to the tenth. With each of these cycles, there is intensification. One should probably think of the way the book of Revelation is structured with its repeating cycles and progressive intensification and see that we have something similar here. 

The important thing to remember is that these plagues, or better yet, “signs and wonders”, were all directed at the gods of Egypt. The Egyptians worshiped many gods. And these false gods of Egypt were all connected with either the Nile River, the land, the sky, or with Pharaoh himself. It is not necessary to be an expert in the religion of the Egyptians to appreciate what is going on in this story. The LORD is here clearly demonstrating that the earth and everything in it is his. He is the one true God. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. He alone is divine. God is, and everything else that is must be regarded as a creature. The Nile, the land of Egypt, and Pharaoh himself exist only because the self-existent, eternal, and unchanging one, determined to bring them into existence. The LORD is God. He is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. And he is the Sustainer too. He is the Sovereign One who rules over all that he has made. More than this, he entered into a covenant with Israel. He promised to redeem them, to make them into a great nation, and to bring a Savior into the world and for the world through them. These ten signs and wonders are a demonstration of all that. They demonstrate God’s supremacy over all created things. And they also demonstrate that Israel was the apple of God’s eye by way of covenant.  

Let us not lose sight of this big picture perspective as we consider the individual “signs and wonders” that God worked in Egypt through his servants, Moses and Aaron. We will consider the first three plagues today. I have five brief observations to make concerning each one before turning to reflections and suggested application.

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The First Sign: Water Turned To Blood

Concerning the water turned to blood, notice these five things:

One, notice how the story begins, with a reference to the previous sign and to Pharoah’s hardness of heart. I think it is right that we consider the previous sign — the staff turned to a snake — as an introductory sign, and not as one of the plagues, for it was performed before Pharaoh and his officials, but Egypt was not stuck as with the other plagues. In other words, that introductory sign was a warning to Pharoah. He saw it, and he hardened his and would not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had said. Remember that this theme of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart so that he might display his power through him runs throughout this narrative. 

Two, notice the demand. This demand will also be repeated throughout this narrative. Verse 15: “Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.’ But so far, you have not obeyed.” (Exodus 7:15–16, ESV) This demand is not new. It will be repeated throughout this narrative.  And I’ll continue to draw your attention to it because it is so significant. The Hebrews were redeemed by God so that they might serve him. To serve God is to worship him. To serve God is to obey him. To serve God is to have him as Lord and King. And we also have been redeemed to worship, brothers and sisters. We have been delivered from the domain of darkness so that we might serve the LORD. This is the flip side of the coin of salvation. We have been delivered from something… and we have been delivered to something. We have been rescued from one kingdom and transferred into another. To say it differently, we have not been redeemed to live independent and autonomous lives for our own glory and pleasure, but to serve a new Master. This is good news because our previous master was harsh and oppressive. His kingdom was a kingdom of darkness, death, and despair. But our new Master, Christ the Lord, is merciful and kind. His kingdom is one of light and life. It is one of glory and hope. In him, we find true life and true satisfaction. Do you remember what Paul said concerning the way in which salvation is received? “[I]f you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV). So, salvation — that is, salvation from sin and its consequences —  is received by faith. To be saved one must trust in Jesus the Messiah and the work that he has accomplished for us. And to come to him one must regard him as Lord. Again, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV). You know, there is a teaching out there — I’m not sure how prominent it is these days — that it is possible to have Jesus as Savior but not as Lord. I think that is an appalling distortion of the gospel. To be redeemed by God is not to go from having a master to no master. No, it is to be freed from the dominion of Satan to have a new King, namely God in Christ. This demand delivered by Moses to Pharaoh reminds us of these truths. For Old Covenant Israel, it was physical and earthly. For us, it is spiritual and heavenly, but no less true. As we consider this demand delivered by Moses to Pharaoh, we must regard it as very bold. It sets God and Pharaoh toe to toe, if you will. Its as if God said to Pharaoh, you regard yourself as the master of these Hebrews, but they are mine. Indeed, all are mine. Even you. And even this land and nation. But these are mind in a special way, for I have set them apart and entered into covenant with them. These people are the apple of my eye. Through them, I will redeem a people for myself for all eternity from every tongue, tribe and nation. They are mine. Let them go so that they might serve me instead of you. 

Three, notice the reason given for the coming plague. It is found in verse 17 where we read, “Thus says the LORD, ‘By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood” (Exodus 7:17, ESV). Here is the purpose for all the plagues. By them the Egyptian — and yes, even the Hebrews and all who would hear of these signs and wonders — would know that the God of the Hebrews is the LORD. So we are not left to wonder why the LORD did all of this. Why did he harden Pharaoh’s heart? Why did he inflict the Egyptians? Why were these plagues poured out in this way? Why ten of them? Why the drawn-out process? Why the drama? God explicitly revealed the reason: “By this you shall know that I am the LORD…” These plagues were a demonstration that God is LORD, and that Pharoah, the Nile, the land of Egypt, and its many so-called gods, were not. 

Four, notice the sign itself, the Nile would be turned to blood. As the story continues we learn that when Aaron touched the water with his staff at the command of God, and the command of Moses, all of the surface water in the land of Egypt turned to blood — the Nile, other rivers, canals, ponds, and even the water stored in wooden and stone vessels — all of it turned to blood. The effect was so widespread that the people of Egypt had to dig new wells to find drinking water for themselves. 

 Please allow me to briefly address two questions related to this first sign.

One, did the surface water in Egypt turn from the substance of water to the substance of blood, or did the water turn red in color due to some natural phenomenon known to the Egyptians such as an algae bloom or runoff typically associated with the rainy season? 

You should know that there is a view out there that regards all of these plagues as natural phenomenon. I think there is some merit to this view provided that we do not go too far with it so as to deny the hand of God in the matter. Yes, the LORD used common things to judge the Egyptians. He used frogs, biting insects, flies, pestilence among the livestock, pestilence among the people, hail, locust, darkness, and death, to pour out his wrath upon the Egyptians and to demonstrate his Sovereign power over them and all created things. These were naturally occurring and common things that God used, but he used them in an uncommon way. For example, the Egyptians knew what it was like to be irritated by frogs and by gnats, but in these plagues, the invasion of the common frog and common gnat was such that even the sorcerers of Egypt would come to admit, this is the finger of God. All of these events were too severe and too timely to dismiss them as mere natural occurrences. No, the God of Israel was behind it. And his use of natural things — water, frogs, gnats and the rest — is itself meaningful. In brief, God judged the Egyptians by turning their beloved water, land, and sky (and all of the so-called gods associated with these realms) against them. 

So back to the question about the water… was it turned from water to blood, or from the typical color of the water to the color blood-red? Either view is acceptable, in my opinion (the Hebrew word can mean either). But we must not make the mistake of trying to reduce these plagues down to mere natural phenomena. These were signs and wonders, brothers and sisters! That is clear! In fact, recognizing that God may have used something natural and common (like an algae bloom) to turn the surface water of Egypt blood-red would be perfectly consistent with the way that God worked in the rest of the plagues. He used gnats, for example — common gnats — to torment the Egyptians. The unique thing about the gnats is that there were lots and lots of them, and they came and went at the command of God. The same may be true of the red-water.

Two, how were the sorcerers of Egypt able to replicate this sign before Pharaoh? Well, in the same way, they replicated the sign of the staff turned to a snake — through trickery. And this also supports the idea that water was not turned to blood, but blood-red. It’s not difficult to imagine how the sorcerers could find a way to replicate this sign in miniature before Pharaoh. One thing to notice, though, is that the sorcerers of Egypt were unable to undo the sign that Moses and Aaron had worked. They were not able to bring relief to their people, therefore. 

The fifth and last thing that I wish to draw your attention to regarding this first plague is the result. Verse 22: “But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 7:22, ESV). Yes, it is true that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. This we know. But is also true that Pharaoh chose to disbelieve. And considered from that vantage point, we may make some observations regarding Pharaoh’s disbelief. Clearly, he was looking for any reason to dismiss the sign. All of the surface water in Egypt was turned blood-red and undrinkable. But when his magicians replicated the sign by their arts, that was enough for Pharaoh to dismiss the obvious miracle worked by God through Moses and Aaron.  This is what men with hard and sinful hearts do. They will look for any reason to persist in their disbelief and they will take the opportunity. And so it is when it comes to the belief in the existence of God. Everything in the created world screams out concerning our Maker, but fallen men and women will always find some way to suppress this truth. And so it is regarding Christ our Redeemer to this present day. When men and women are presented with the truth regarding his life, death, and resurrection, those with hard and unrepentant hearts will surely find a way — some way — to dismiss the truth.   

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The Second Sign: Frogs

Some of the observations that I have made concerning the first plague apply to the others, and because of this, the five observations that I have concerning the second and third plagues will be briefer.  

One, consider again the introductory remarks: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs.’” (Exodus 8:1–2, ESV)

Notice that this confrontation with Pharaoh took place inside his courts as opposed to out in the open. “Go in to Pharaoh”, the Lord said. This is the setting of the confrontation of plagues 2, 5, and 8, the middle plagues in each of the three plague cycles. 

The demand is the same: “‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. “

The threat is that the land and the homes of the Egyptians would be inundated with frogs. “I will plague all your country with frogs”, the LORD says. “Plague” here means “strike”. “I will [strike] all your country with frogs.”

Two, notice that plagues one and two were irritations to the Egyptians. They did not take away life nor do damage to health. The Egyptians were able to dig wells for water, and when the frogs invaded the land they were an annoyance, but nothing more. The severity of the plagues will progressively intensify.  

Three, notice that with the plague of the frogs Pharaoh did begin to acknowledge that it was the LORD’s doing. He asked Moses to plead with the LORD to remove them. And Moses did also permit Pharaoh to pick the time. Certainly, this was to help prove that it was the LORD’s doing, and not some coincidence or trickery.

Four, the purpose is stated again. Verse 10: “so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God” (Exodus 8:10, ESV). God is utterly unique. He is the one and only. There is none like him. 

Five, notice the result. When relief came, “he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 8:15, ESV).

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The Third Sign: Gnats

Now for five very brief observations regarding the third plague.

One, this plague is initiated outdoors and with no confrontation with Pharaoh. This is the case with plagues 3, 6, and 9, the third plagues in each plague cycle. 

Two, Aaron was instructed to strike the dust of the earth to initiate the plague of the gnats. So now the Nile has been struck, and so to the earth. And when the earth is struck the sky will be filled with insects. Water, earth, and sky.  

Three, gnats are to be understood as biting insects, perhaps mosquitoes. 

Four, the magicians were unable to duplicate this sign as they did with the staff to snake, the water turned blood-red, and the frogs. It’s not difficult to imagine why. They were able to reproduce the other signs on a small scale through their trickery, but they couldn’t quite figure out how to train swarms of mosquitoes.  

Five, this forced the magicians to confess what Pharaoh had probably long suspected. “Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 8:19, ESV).

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Reflections

One, we should be careful to acknowledge the uniqueness of this event when seeming to apply the ten plagues to our circumstances. 

Two, we find in the ten plagues an example of how God judges nations today when they go astray by failing to uphold justice, and by enacting laws that are contrary to God’s moral law as revealed in nature and in scripture. He will strike at their “gods”.

Three, it is interesting to consider all of this through the eyes of the Hebrews, though they are not mentioned in the account of the first three plagues. I wonder what they were thinking? They were eventually willing to follow Moses out of Egypt, so I think it is safe to assume that they themselves were progressively convinced of the power of God by these signs and wonders. And this should remind us that God does not only reveal himself in grace, but also in his powerful and righteous judgments.